"Shuffle" Plays to Full House

Lainey S. Cronk, November 17, 2009

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The second annual 24-hour theater festival was a big hit on
Sunday evening, with people lining the walls of Alice Holst Theater and even
watching from the lobby. Produced by the Pacific Union College Dramatic Arts
Society, the festival was titled "Shuffle" and showcased four short
plays created entirely in 24 hours.

Four playwrights were given titles (from songs) at 9 p.m. on
Saturday evening, November 14. They wrote through the night and handed off
their plays to directors the next morning. The directors and their teams of
actors spent the day rehearsing. At 8 p.m. Sunday evening, the theater was
packed with an expectant audience.

PUC film & television program director Rodney Vance
wrote "The Final Slowdance"; current PUC student Peter Katz
contributed "All the Things That I've Done"; San Francisco playwright
Enrique Urueta wrote "Mistakes We Knew We Were Making"; and former
PUC student Tim Wolcott wrote "Don't Blame it on Elvis." Five
directors, 20 actors, and a crew of six brought the four brand-new plays to
life.

"Shuffle"
producer, PUC student, and drama program intern Timothy Widmer explained that
"last year DAS produced the first 24-hour festival and it was so much fun
we decided to do it again." Following the show, he also ran through the
impressive list of classes and productions still to come this year, including a
new work festival and new classes such as script analysis and techniques of
stage production.